Ryou's Problem
by Dancho
Summary: Finished! WARNINGS: Drug useimplications violence and pain cursing. Okay, this is my nonAU take on Ryou and Bakura. It's VERY different. I have been notified it takes a VERY slight AU turn at the VERY end. sorry
1. Chapter 1

AN: MY OUTLOOK! Not really AU. Seriously! This sticks very close to the anime, accept for the odd wording or some small things. This is my take on Ryou and Bakura's relationship and how Bakura isn't really as evil as he appears. Okay, he's still power hungry, but he's not sadistic or evil! A FIRST! And Ryou isn't as good as you'd all like to think. Oh, a bit of R/B pairing though nothing major and it's not focused on. Think of it as family love if you wish too. Anyway, enjoy and flame if you wish.  
  
Ryou's Problem  
  
I stumbled down the hall to the bathroom and mutter some curse word under my breath. I hated the morning. I hated the sun. I hated the unexpected light. I hated the cold floors. I hated EVERYTHING about mornings, but most of all I hated the time I spent waiting for the shower.  
  
I'm the first one to admit that I'm a complete and utter bitch in the morning and the second person to admit that I'm a hell of a lot nice after my morning shower and coffee. Great stuff, Coffee. Didn't have any of it when I was alive, so I'm making up for lost time. I drink it every chance I get. Ryou complains that I drink it too much and I'm over indulging, but I don't know the meaning of the word. I growl and knock on the door.  
  
"Ryou? Hurry up in there! I've got a hangover and I want my shower." I waited for his customary response-that I shouldn't drink so much if I don't want a hangover-but it didn't come. "Ryou? You okay?"  
  
"I'ma fine." Ryou slurred from the other side of the door.  
  
"You sure? You don't sound to good." I commented.  
  
"Sure, I'm..." Ryou began, but was cut off by sounds agony. "Ohhhh."  
  
"Ryou!" I called a bit more frantically. I pressed my ear to the door and heard crashing and another grunt of pain. By now I was very worried, so I slammed my foot into the door. The lock, old and weak, gave way and the door swung open. I saw him holding the wall over the toilet, covered in blood and sweat and surrounded by broken bottles.  
  
"What?" He asked weakly, looking up at me. I ran over to him and grabbed a towel to wipe his bloody hands, while kicking the glass away.  
  
"What happened?" I asked. "Are you alright?"  
  
"I'm fine." He mumbled. "Just the crash. Will you stop moving?"  
  
"I'm not moving. What do you mean? The crash?" I asked, confused. Ryou shook his head and threw his head back into the toilet, heaving. I held his head and grabbed his hair so it wouldn't fall in his face. When he was done throwing up, I helped his stand and turned on the shower. Pulling his shirt and pants off, I helped him into the shower and let the water wet us down. When I was sure he was feeling better, I turned off the water and grabbed a towel to dry him with.  
  
"What happened?" I asked harshly. Ryou shook his head and sagged against the wall. He waved his hand vaguely at the sink and I got his a cup of water to drink. I helped him sit on the floor since he was having trouble standing and bandaged his hands.  
  
"I'm so tired." He mumbled when he was finished drinking. "I've got to sleep it off. I'll be okay in a few hours. I've been through this before."  
  
"Okay." I sighed, helping his to his room. Unsure what else to do, I covered him in blankets and turned off the lights. I hadn't been a doctor in Egypt and this disease my hikari had been taken with was new to me. Fortunately, Ryou seemed to know what to do, so I was saved from that worry; not that I would have worried anyway, but still. Closing the door behind me, I made my way down to the bathroom and swept up the glass. When I was finished I grabbed the clothes and towels that littered the floor. I was about to put Ryou's pants in the hamper for him to wash when he was better, when I felt something heavy in one of the pockets. I reached inside and pulled out a bag with a bunch of white powder in it and a few straws. Confused, I dipped my finger in it.  
  
"Why is Ryou carrying around salt?" I asked tasting it. "YUCK!! Defiantly NOT salt. Or sugar for that matter. So what is it?"  
  
Uncertain what else to do, I went over to the cordless phone and entered the number of my friend, Malik Ishtar and his aibou. He knew a lot about these modern things and his aibou knew even more. Unlike me (I was still stuck in the past on something's), Malik had adjusted well to the time changed and was busy making the best of everything the modern age had to offer him. Which basically meant guns, weapons, the Internet and the black market. I heard the phone ring once and then twice before someone picked up.  
  
"Hello?" A voice asked. It was Malik. "This better be important, cause... No, stop that! NO!!"  
  
I heard some crashing in the background and a few muffled curses.  
  
"Sorry about that." Yami Malik sighed coming to the phone. "Now who is this?"  
  
"Bakura." I growled. "Look, I need some help. Ryou's sick."  
  
"So take his to a doctor." Yami Malik shrugged.  
  
"No. Can't. Ryou's scared shitless of them and he'd probably freak out. Anyway, I found some white powder in his pants. I was wondering if you might know what it is."  
  
"Don't ask me. If it was a weapon I could probably tell you everything you needed and didn't need to know. Food, drink and the other modern crap confuses me. I'll put Malik on. He'll know."  
  
There was another bit of shuffling as the phone got passed back to the hikari.  
  
"Ryou's sick?"  
  
"Yes. I found him in the bathroom a few minutes ago. He was sweating and looked really out of it. But he couldn't stand and he'd knocked over a bunch of glass bottles and cut his hands. I took care of him and he's in bed now. I started to clean up his stuff and found something in his pockets.  
  
"what did you find?"  
  
"Powder. It tastes disgusting!" I told him.  
  
"You tasted it?"  
  
"Yea. Thought it might be sugar."  
  
"So it's white?"  
  
"Yep. Oh, and inside the bag are some small straws."  
  
"Oh crap." Malik cursed. "NO! Yami! Stop that! NOT THE CAT!!!"  
  
I heard a gun shot and a scuffling in the background.  
  
"STOP THAT!!"  
  
"IT'S JUST A CAT!"  
  
"SHE'S GONNA SUE US! NO MORE GUNS FOR YOU!"  
  
"Uh, Malik?" I asked.  
  
"I'm back." Malik said. "Stupid Yami!"  
  
"I heard that!" Yami Malik yelled back.  
  
"Uh, do you know what the powder is or not?"  
  
"I do. That's what the 'oh crap' was for. Bakura, I think Ryou is doing stuff."  
  
"Well of course he's doing stuff! He's not bleeding dead!"  
  
"No! Stuff as in dust, coke, snow, flake, blow, nose candy, powder. He's on Cocaine!"  
  
"You're telling me that Ryou's a fucking druggie?!" I screamed.  
  
"Listen, Cocaine isn't good, all right? I suggest you flush the stuff and keep an eye on him. A real close eye. I don't think he's addicted yet, but he might try to get some more Cocaine for the high. I'll look into it more, but try to find out how long he's been on this shit."  
  
"Ok." I mumbled. "Thanks."  
  
There was a click and I hung up the phone softly.  
  
"My hikari is doing drugs." I whispered. "He's a druggie. Oh my god." 


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Well, so our precious Ryou is a druggie. But you'll see how it works in a bit. I researched this really hard and deep! You want the facts, I got 'em. Anyway, I'd like to say that I don't endorse drugs in any way shape or form and if you are on them tell someone! They can really hurt you. (oh, god. That sounded so lame.) Anyway, drugs can really screw with you, so stay away. But, on we go with the fic. My non-AU fic with a VERY different outlook.  
  
Ryou's problem 2  
  
I sat there waiting for the idiot to wake up. Malik had just called back and given me some more information about Cocaine, it's long-term effects and he'd also given me a help-line to call. If what he'd told me was right there wasn't a chance in hell, Ryou was leaving my sight. It wasn't that I cared about the moron, but honestly, he was obviously too weak to look out for himself. Curse these stupid feelings of responsibility. I rubbed my neck, trying to relieve the tension and looked over at the sleeping boy. I jumped a bit as I realized that he was staring back. Neither one of us spoke for a while.  
  
"So, how long you been on it?" I asked quietly.  
  
"Huh?" Ryou asked me.  
  
"DON'T PLAY INNOCENT WITH ME!" I roared before calming down. "I know all about your stupid little habit. Jeez, you're such a weakling. So, you gonna tell me or continue to pretend you're clueless?"  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about." Ryou protested. Snarling, I jumped up and straddled his chest, my hands holding his shoulders.  
  
"Your cocaine!" I spat. "Your fucking drug habit! How long?"  
  
"I..." Ryou began, the protest forming on his lips.  
  
"You know exactly what I mean and I'm not going to ask again!" I told him as my grip tightened and I shook him.  
  
"Only three times!" Ryou cried out. "I swear only three times!"  
  
Letting go of him, I sighed and rolled my shoulders.  
  
"So this time was your fourth?" I asked. Ryou just nodded, the fear still lingering in his eyes.  
  
"So it's not to late. Look, Ryou, I'm not going to let you destroy yourself. From now on you tell me where you're going and who you're going with, understand?"  
  
"But Bakura!" Ryou protested.  
  
"No buts. Oh and I flushed your drugs and did a search of the house."  
  
"You can't do this to me!"  
  
"Would you rather be in rehab?" I asked. "Huh?"  
  
"Please, Yami! I need it! Please give it back to me!" Ryou begged.  
  
"NO!" I shouted. Ryou sniffed and tried to control his tears, while I clenched and unclenched my fists, attempting to rein in my anger. I finally went over to his closet and grabbed a pair of shorts and a shirt. Tossing them in Ryou's direction, I walked to the door. "Put those on and come down stairs."  
  
*************************  
  
"And just where do you think you're going?" I asked, causing Ryou to freeze.  
  
"Out." He mumbled.  
  
"Out where? With who?" I growled.  
  
"To the school. It's called my education."  
  
"Fine." I muttered. "You'd better come straight home though."  
  
"Posh! Like you'd know."  
  
"I can dial a phone. I'll just call Malik."  
  
"Fine." Ryou hissed, slamming the door on the way out.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I eased the door open and crept towards the stairs.  
  
"Ahem?" Bakura coughed, causing me to freeze.  
  
"Yes, Yami?" I asked, cautiously.  
  
"Empty out your pockets."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Empty your pockets and give me your backpack."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I'm checking you over."  
  
"I haven't got anything. You flushed my supplies yesterday."  
  
"I'm not dumb. I know you can buy more." Yami growled as he reached over and grabbed my backpack. I stiffened. I HAD bought another pack in school. Fortunately I' hidden them in my shoes to avoid any nosy teachers seeing unusual bumps on my person. Finding nothing in my backpack, Yami patted me down and frowned when he still came up with nothing.  
  
"Take off your shirt and pants." Yami told me. I didn't move.  
  
"What?" I asked.  
  
"You heard. It's called a strip search."  
  
"You can't do this! It's not right!"  
  
"You prefer rehab?" Yami asked me. Biting my lower lip, I pulled off my shirt and pants, trying to hide my embarrassment. "Why did you leave your shoe's on? It's much easier to strip with your shoes off."  
  
"I dunno." I muttered.  
  
"Take them off. Now!" Yami told me. I looked at the floor but took off my shoes, not meeting Bakura's eye when a small packet fell to the ground. "I'll take that."  
  
"How did you know?" I asked.  
  
"I had Malik watch you." My Yami shrugged, as he walked out of the room and left me to redress and clean up my books and papers. When I was finished, I walked into the kitchen and made myself some coffee. Withdrawal was hitting me... hard! Halfway through math, I'd almost fallen asleep and I'd almost crashed the second I'd gotten home. I felt my eyes flutter close and my body fell to the ground.  
  
*******************  
  
I woak up to cold water hitting my face.  
  
"Huh? What?" I asked, groggily.  
  
"Wake up." Bakura muttered. "You've been asleep five hours. Come on it's time for dinner."  
  
I sat up and glanced around.  
  
"Uh, Yami? Why are there a lot of doors in the living room?"  
  
"I took them off their hinges." He shrugged.  
  
"But Yami! My bedroom door is here. And the bathrooms!"  
  
"I can't trust you! The doors stay where they are until I feel you're better."  
  
"YAMI!" I screamed, feeling like a child. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS! IT'S NOT FAIR! I'M NOT A FUCKING CHILD YOU KNOW!"  
  
"WILL YOU SHUT UP?" Bakura roared. "If you aren't a child, then stop acting like one. You continue to act like a little girl and I'll continue to treat you like one. Pathetic. Only weaklings need drugs."  
  
"AH!" I screamed, running at him, my fist swinging. My fist found his stomach and my other hand curled around his throat. "TAKE THAT BACK!!"  
  
"NEVER!" Bakura yelled back as he punched my in the face. Falling on my ass, I clutched my face and tried to ignore my bloody nose. "GOD! You're acting like an addict! Now you listen to me! The doors stay down, the strip searches stay and you will be watched. Fight me and I will fight back. Oh and from now on, I'm going to accompany you to school in the ring."  
  
"Yami!" I started, but he silenced me with a glare. I waited 'til he'd gone, before removing my hand and going to the bathroom to wash away the blood from my nose. "Bastard. I hope he rots in hell. I'm no child. I can take care of myself. I KNOW what I'm doing. Hell, I could stop if I wanted to. I could. I just don't want to... and who is he to be controlling me? Asshole!" 


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Kinda boring. Mostly Bakura and Ryou fighting. Ends kinda important. Yea.  
  
~~~~~~~ - POV change ******** - Time passing  
  
Ryou's Problem 3  
  
"Hey Ryou!" Yugi called. (AN: Yea, I know in the American Anime they call him Bakura, but to cut down on confusion in future chapters, he'll be called Ryou.) I smiled back at him and walked over. Fortunately Yami had been content to ignore most of my conversations and friends and just listen for key words. I don't know how Yugi would take to being jumped by Bakura.  
  
"Whoa! What happened to your nose?" Joey asked.  
  
"Oh, this?" I asked, touching my still sore nose. "I fell into a wall yesterday. Still hurts like hell though."  
  
"Oh, well, hope it fells better." Yugi grinned as he returned to his game of duel monsters.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Huh?" I thought out loud. "Why is Ryou talking to those kids? That little one, stupid punk, is the one with the millennium puzzle. GRRR. His resemblance to the pharaoh is remarkable but it doesn't bother me. The pharaoh is dead and can't hurt me now. I'm just going to have to watch that boy though. Without the pharaoh and his following around, the items will be mine for the taking. I'll have to watch Malik and his sister as well. Though getting their millennium items might prove to be harder."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Hello?" I asked, answering the phone.  
  
"Ryou? Yugi. A bunch of us are going to the park; wanna come?"  
  
"Sure. I'll be right there." I grinned. Hanging up I grabbed my coat and went to the door, waving to Yami. "Be back later.  
  
"And where are you're going?" He asked.  
  
"To the park. With some friends."  
  
"Which friends?"  
  
"You don't know them." I said, slamming my mouth closed to late. 'Real good, Ryou. Why'd you have to screw that up like that? Of all the things to say!'  
  
"Then you can't go." He told me. I darted forwards towards the door, but he grabbed my shirt collar and pulled me back inside, locking the front door. "I said, you can't go."  
  
"But Yami!" I pleaded.  
  
"No." I told him. "I know what you're planning. Do you think I'd just let you go out to buy drugs? Not on your life!"  
  
"Fine." I snorted, suddenly feeling indifferent. What did I care? "It's not like it was really important. Nothing is."  
  
"Oh and I suppose next you'll be saying that you wish you were dead?" He smirked.  
  
"It's better to be dead then under your control."  
  
"Shut up!" Yami screamed. "This is for your own good."  
  
"Maybe you should consider that I might know what's good for me better than you do, huh?"  
  
"Please." Yami rolled his eyes. "You can't tell up from down. These mood swings? Sudden fatigue? Anger? Suicidal thoughts? You can't think straight, let alone decide what's best for you."  
  
"Whatever." I muttered, going to the stairs. "I'm tired. See you in the morning."  
  
"But it's only four in the afternoon." I heard Yami muttered as I climbed the stairs.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
The phone rang and I reached over to turn on the speaker.  
  
"Yea?" I asked gruffly.  
  
"The puzzles carrier is going to a duel monsters tournament on the Duelist Kingdom Island."  
  
"So?"  
  
"So? It's two for one. A source tells me that the holder to the millennium eye will also be attending. No information as to who either carrier is though. I'm sure you either know already or your ring will help you out."  
  
"Why are you telling me this instead of jumping on it yourself?"  
  
"I've got some... business to attend to first. Besides, I've got a bit of insurance."  
  
"Sure." I muttered. "Thanks for the tip off, though."  
  
"I knew you were never one to waste a good opportunity. The ship leaves from port three in thirty minutes." Malik informed me before hanging up. I clicked the speaker button to hang up my end and grabbed my coat.  
  
"Bakura?" Ryou called from the doorway.  
  
'Shit! My Hikari! I can't just leave him here; that's asking for trouble! But I can't pass up this chance to get two items. Well, I guess that leaves me one option.'  
  
"Yami?" Ryou asked, coming up behind me. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I'm taking over." I told him, before I pulled myself into my soul room and into the driver's seat of Ryou's body.  
  
/Yami?!/ Ryou thought frantically as I walked towards the door. I locked it behind us and continued on down the walk. /Where are we going?/  
  
/On a trip. Relax. It's nowhere bad. /  
  
/Not rehab? /  
  
/Not rehab. I promised you we wouldn't go there unless you wouldn't co- operate. Now shut up so we can go. /  
  
/Sorry, Yami. / Ryou whispered before closing the door to his soul room and blocking me out. Once he was out of my hair, I broke into a run and slipped into the shipyards. Being one of the few people there, I knocked one of the guards out and slipped onto the ship.  
  
'Nice. Big as well. Shouldn't be too difficult to hide out. Can't afford to be seen. We can't all be millionaires with our own cruise ships.'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
/Yami? / I ask again, cautiously. Did I really want to know? It was too early to honestly care; my watch told me it was just a bit before eleven. Besides, the only thing I honestly cared about was getting a fix and staying out of rehab. /Yami, where are we? /  
  
/On an island. / Yami told me, stifling a yawn. /Gonna take a nap. Just follow the others. Stay out of sight though... if you know what's good for you. /  
  
I heard the door to his soul room close with a soft click and knew he wouldn't be out until he felt like it.  
  
/Well that was helpful! / I yelled at his door anyway. Sighing, I looked around for the others Yami had mentioned. I heard voices and followed them, making sure I would stay out of sight. After a few minutes, I found myself at a large castle and the voices were climbing up a large set of stairs to what appeared to be a gateway. Frowning, I tried to make sense of it all. Suddenly, excited voices caught me attention and I pulled out of sight behind a tree. 'What if they're after me? Oh GOD! They're after me! I don't wanna go to rehab! Yami! Yami, you promised! You promised!' I took off running, hoping that the voice wouldn't follow me.  
  
'Oh God! Oh God!' I screamed at myself. 'Please! Help me! Helpppppp! Wait! What if they beat me? What if they hurt me? Oh, please, no! NO!'  
  
Finally winded, I collapsed against a tree and slumped over, breathing heavily.  
  
"You promised, Yami." I huffed. "You promised."  
  
/What did I promise? / I heard Yami sneer, but when I looked he was still in his soul room, asleep.  
  
"You promised you wouldn't send me to rehab." I whispered. "You promised."  
  
/Only if you were good. And I say... you aren't worth my promises. / Yami laughed.  
  
"No, please! Please!" I sobbed.  
  
/Shut up, wimp! / Yami screamed, a foot connecting with my stomach. /Shut up! Grow up you pathetic weakling. Bastard, shut up! /  
  
Yami continued to insult me and beat me, causing me to cry harder. After a few minutes, he seemed to grow tired of my wailing and stopped. I cried softly, and crawled to my soul room, fear clutching my throat as I passed Yami's room. Opening my door slowly, I winced as it squeaked. I listened closely and heard the deep even breathing that result from deep slumber. 


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Okay, anyone who was confused by the last chapter, Ryou was having a hallucination. It happens when a serious user goes into withdrawal. And even though Ryou said he hadn't done much, he got addicted quickly! All right then. Shadow realm game up next. Okay, It's a bit sticky on the lines, but I tried to keep it close to the episode. Cut me some slack, okay? Oh, and ignore my spelling errors. I'm trying but spell check only gets so much, and I'm trying with gloves on. Stupid nail biting habit. Been trying to break it forever. Got to be a better way than gloves!  
  
Ryou's Problem 4  
  
I stretched and took control of Ryou's body.  
  
"The forest? What the hell?" I asked. "Why are we here?"  
  
I wandered over to the edge of the forest and glanced over the dueling arenas.  
  
"Ryou? Ryou! You've been sleeping all day! Look it's almost eight at night. Wake up and find your friends!" I screamed as I wrenched open the door to his soul room. "GO! NOW!"  
  
Tossing him out of his soul room, I felt him take over.  
  
/Now, hurry and find them! / I muttered. He didn't move for a minute, but then slowly began to turn and walk into the forest again. 'What's taking him so long? Doesn't he understand that I need these two items? And the sooner we get off this island the better. I want a shower. I want a bed! I WANT COFFEE!!!'  
  
/Bakura? I hear them. They're sitting around that campfire. /  
  
/Go to them! Smile and laugh with them! Then challenge the boy with the tri-colored hair to a duel. Say that all of his friends should put in a card. Do it! /  
  
/But Bakura! You'll hurt them! /  
  
/Fine. Let's go back home and I'll take you to a rehab center in the morning. Do not test me, Ryou. /  
  
/I... I understand Yami. / Ryou sighed, as he walked through the bushes to the campfire. I tried not to listen in as Ryou talked with the others. It wasn't that I wasn't curious; it simply took energy to listen through Ryou's ears without being in control. Energy I couldn't afford to waste. Sucking those kids into the shadow realm was hard enough, but I needed to have extra energy to spare in case something went wrong. It was the shadow realm; nothing was for certain. /Yami? We're sitting down to the duel. What should I do now? /  
  
/Show them the ring, and let me take over. / I hissed.  
  
"Before we begin," Ryou said. "There's a little something I'd like to share with you all. And especially with you, Yugi."  
  
I allowed the Ring to show through his sweater, and grabbed Ryou by the shoulders.  
  
/YAMI! / He yelled as I threw him into his Soul room. /What the...? /  
  
/Stay there! I don't want you to get hurt. / I told him before slamming the door to his soul room and locking the door. I knew he'd only be sucked into his 'Change of Heart' card when I played it, but I wanted him out of the way until then. It wouldn't do for him to try and stop me. /Finally. Another item. Plus the added bonus of locking away Ryou's drug friends. My day might not be so bad after all. /  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I tried to break my door down, but it was locked already.  
  
'What is Bakura doing?!' I wondered. 'He wouldn't hurt the others would he?' /No, please! YAMI! You can't hurt them! Stop this! /  
  
/Relax, little aibou. Things haven't gone exactly as planned. I will not kill them. Only lock away their souls. /  
  
/Yami, you can't do that! Stop this! / I begged.  
  
/Aww, the pharaoh seems a touch worried about you. It's cute, or it would be if he wasn't a fucking drug dealer! /  
  
/The pharaoh? / I asked, looking through Yami's eyes. My own widened as I saw that Yugi had changed. Not only had he aged, but also his clothes had changed and he'd gotten older. 'Sort of like when Bakura take over my body.' I realized.  
  
/Yes, the pharaoh from my time. The one who trapped me in this accursed Ring. 'Tis a pity he was also sealed away. He always was a bit of a bastard. /  
  
/Please, Yami? They are my friends. Stop this. / I pleaded, remembering the situation.  
  
/Your friends? Your friends are all weaklings and addicts. They deserve this! /  
  
/No, Yami! / I cried. /They never.../  
  
/ENOUGH! I need to concentrate. / Yami commanded and cut off our mental link.  
  
/YAMI! YAMI!!! / I screamed banging on my door. "Asshole. Who or what the hell does he think he is? God? Dragging me out to a island who knows where and attacking my friends? So he could steal Yugi's necklace? Bakura and I need to have a talk about modern laws. Blast him. He must really want that necklace. Humph. Well, if he wants it, then I don't. Let's see. He takes my cocaine, 'kidnaps' me, locks me up and attacks my friends. Grrrr. He's so... so infuriating! I can take care of myself. And I'm going to prove it to you, Yami! Just you wait! I won't let you win anything!"  
  
Grumbling to myself, I sat the floor and waited until Yami let me out.  
  
/Ryou. I'm playing you. Be ready. / Yami's voice came through as I felt my soul being pulled out of my room and onto the playing field. I opened my eyes, surprised to see the others gawking at me in surprise.  
  
'So, they're all right. Thank God.' I sighed, a smile on my face.  
  
"Ryou!" Yugi called.  
  
"I want to help, but we must act quickly." I sighed, running over to the 'lady of faith' card Bakura had played. "I've taken over one of his cards. I can control her, while you attack me. You can win against the evil Bakura!" /Take that, Yami. You're going down! /  
  
/Ryou! Please! Stop this before you get hurt! / Yami pleaded with me.  
  
"No. But attacking her, I'd be destroying you. Sending you to the grave yard!"  
  
"I don't care. It's better than being enslaved by an evil spirit! DO IT!"  
  
"BE QUIET!" Bakura roared. /Stop this! You'll be hurt! Please! I've only ever wanted to help you, Ryou! Understand me! /  
  
/Shut up, you evil bastard. Why should I bother any more to try anything any more? I need a fix so bad it's killing me and all you do is deny me it. Do I ask for much? NO! All I ever wanted you've taken from me. At least, when I go out, I'll be hurting you too. / I spat, shutting off our mental link with a snap.  
  
"I've got a better idea." 'The pharaoh' shouted, his puzzle, glowing. He started to say some other words, but they were lost on me, as I was wrenched off the board and back into my own body.  
  
/NO! / I heard, Bakura scream, as I opened my eyes. I looked down and my eyes widened as I saw Bakura standing where I had been.  
  
"Send him to the grave yard, Yugi!" I heard the pharaoh yell, as Yugi brought his staff down.  
  
/RYOU! / Bakura screamed, as he was ripped apart. /NO! /  
  
/Bakura! / I yelled back. 'He's gone. Yami's gone.' I realized as we descended from the shadow realm. 'Oh, well. Who needs him? I'm free now, right? I can go off and take care of myself. I don't need him. And I DO NOT miss him either. And I NEVER will.' I tried to convince myself. 


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Okay, so this isn't in any of the episodes. This is completely my own work. FUN! More Yami! More Ryou! But it's short. Really short. Barely two pages. I'll try and make the next chapter longer.  
  
Ryou's Problem 5  
  
I rolled over for what seemed to be the thousandth time that night and tried to suffocate myself by draping my arms over my face. I was still on the island. I was still cold. Of course, the added fact that I was missing Yami horrible, wasn't helping at all. I'd decided to hang out with Yugi and his friends until I could find a boat off the island, and they had nicely agreed to let me tag along. I didn't mean to feel like extra baggage, but they had just shrugged it off as we'd set camp beside a cliff. I moved off a bit, so I wouldn't disturb anyone with my restlessness. My insomnia had been getting worse, but less frequent these days, and I didn't want to explain to anyone my lack of sleep. Fortunately, Kaiba had shown up and I had been able to burn a bit of my excess energy. To bad I still had some. This only added to my loneliness. I had tried walking around my soul room, but every time I'd passed my door, there was his room. I'd ended up closing my door, but I could still feel the emptiness.  
  
I really did miss him. The day before we'd left I hadn't been able to sleep...... And I'd been really hyper. Bakura had been a touch upset, but he'd gotten himself some coffee-stupid over-indulger-and walked with me. We'd gone around the park and he'd even had to keep me away from three soda machines, before I'd collapsed. He'd taken control of my body and taken me back home. Trying to rid myself of the memories, I rolled over and hit my head against the ground. But his words were coming back again.  
  
"THIS ENTIRE NIGHT!" I scream into my sweater. "I CAN'T SLEEP! CAN'T GET YAMI OUT OF MY HEAD! AND I CAN'T EVEN GET A GODDAMNED FIX!!!!"  
  
/Stop this! You'll be hurt! Please! I've only ever wanted to help you, Ryou! Understand me! / I head Yami's voice whisper.  
  
"No." I whispered. "No. You're dead. You're gone! Stop tormenting me! I'm sorry, okay?! I've said it now! I over-reacted! Oh God, Bakura. I'm sorry. You were only trying to help. I'M SORRY!"  
  
Standing up, I ran into the woods for a little bit, and finally slumped against a tree. Hunching over, I realized my ring was glowing, so I pulled it out and turned it over in my hands a few times, until the glowing stopped.  
  
"It was glowing. Like when Yami was in it. But that's silly. Yami's dead. I killed him." I sighed, as my energy died and my eyes closed. My mind ran over pictures and memories of Yami. Playing PS2 with him. Going to the movies. Teaching him about the modern world. Laughing. Smiling. Happiness. The memories blurred and mixed with each other until the only thing that was clear was Bakura. Yami. My Yami.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I slammed into the bed and felt the air leave my lungs. I gasped for air and winced as it grated on my throat and lungs, but I loved the sensation of real air.  
  
"What the hell?" I whispered as I caught my breath. "Where am I? My soul room? But....... I should be in the shadow realm. What happened?"  
  
I asked myself as I tried to lift my head. Unfortunately, I was too tired to do much more and I had to let my head smash back into the pillow.  
  
"Or maybe, I'll just lay here then. Take a nap." I whispered as I closed my eyes and buried my head in the pillow. I felt the cloth cover my face and smiled at the reality of it. Real pillows. A real bed. A real floor. Real walls. Real doors. Real air. Hell after my 'romp' in the shadow realm, any reality I was in, no matter how crappy, was beautiful to me. Grinning like a maniac, I let out a sigh and fell asleep. 


	6. Chapter 6

AN: All right this chapter sort of spans the duel between Joey/Yugi and the paradox brothers; Kaiba and Yugi's duel; Tea and Mai's duel; and Kaiba and Pegasus's duel. It also covers the events in which Bakura makes his first appearance since the shadow realm game in which he was banished. Much fun, really! And it will make sense....... I promise!  
  
Ryou's Problem 6  
  
'Damn it.' I heard Ryou curse. 'Shit! Shit! Shit! I'm going to die! Hell, we're all going to die!'  
  
'What? Ryou, what are you talking.......' I began, once I realized it was actually MY aibou cursing so violently. I was still half-asleep and very tired after being dragged across the shadow realm and back. All I wanted to do was sleep, but if Ryou was in trouble, I'd best lend whatever hand I could.  
  
'I'm going to die in this cave! We're never going to find the exit! Why did it have to be a maze? I'd much prefer a lake of lava and a rope to close with. At least the death would be quick!' Ryou continued, obviously not hearing my question.  
  
"So, they need the exit, huh?" I asked myself. "Well, I AM a tomb raider. With the added powers of the ring, I should be able to help out."  
  
Rolling onto the floor, I stretched out and concentrated. Letting my energy roll out of my body and power the ring, I heard Ryou and his friends talking.  
  
"Ryou?" The shortest friend asked. "What's going on?"  
  
"My ring! It's glowing! I think it's pulling me this way!"  
  
"Ryou! Go slower!" The idiot blond-Joey?-yelled.  
  
"I can't help it! It's pulling me this way!" Ryou yelled over his shoulder.  
  
"Tell it to pull slower!" Joey yelled back.  
  
"Look the exit!" One of the others called. A shout rose from the group and I felt my energy falter.  
  
'If they've found the exit.......' I thought as my vision grew dimmer. 'I think....... I need to sleep.'  
  
I cut off the flow of energy and relaxed.  
  
'I hope no one wants to kill me now.' I thought as I passed out.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
I slept for, what seemed to be, forever. I remained in my soul room and didn't try to talk to Ryou. I knew he was probably still mad at me, and I didn't want him to send me back to the shadow realm. The wimp would probably get his ass blown up if I wasn't around to watch him. Just look what he did when I turned my back! Shoots up on Cocaine! What an idiot! Periodically, I would wake-up only to fall back asleep again. It was beginning to annoy me. What kind of Yami was I being? I couldn't even remain conscious for more than a minute. Fortunately, my bouts of consciousness were becoming more frequent and longer as my energy increased. Soon, hopefully, I would be able to make another grab at one of the items. Perhaps not the pharaoh though. He'd proved to be a tougher opponent than I could handle head-on. The millennium eye seemed my best bet and, perhaps I could rethink my strategy towards the pharaoh. I took a quick look out of Ryou's eyes and saw that he was watching a duel. One of the monsters seemed to be a closed book. I'd never seen this monster before!  
  
"I wonder who's dueling." I commented before passing out again.  
  
************************************************************************  
  
'Yami.......' I heard Ryou sigh to himself. 'I wish you were here. You'd help me here. I hate this! I hate heights too!'  
  
'Huh?' I asked, now fully awake. Rubbing my eyes, I realized I was STILL tired from the trip to the shadow realm and helping out Ryou at the maze. Dozing, slightly, I looked through Ryou's eyes and found him walking across a roof!  
  
"WHAT! Is this one of your highs?!" I asked outloud, though I knew Ryou couldn't hear me; I'd closed our link ever since I'd come back. I let out a sigh as he slipped into a room through the window. He was with two of his friends, poking around the room.  
  
"Robbing, huh?" I laughed. "How ironic. And I thought Ryou disapproved of this thievery."  
  
Laughing to myself, I cut my view and sat down on my bed. If I was conscious, I might as well see how long I could stay that way. It would be most embarrassing to confront the owner of the millennium eye and be unable to win our battle. Actually, today, or night as the case might very well be, I felt almost energized. I suppose I had recovered most of my strength, which was very good considering my previous circumstances. Curious as to what my aibou was doing with his two friends, I opened his eyes again and gasped.  
  
"FUCK YOU, RYOU!" I yelled. "WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM? CAN'T YOU STAY OUT OF TROUBLE FOR MORE THAN A MINUTE?!"  
  
My STUPID aibou had managed to get himself and his friends pulled into an area of the shadow realm. He was talking softly with his friends, but I wasn't really listening. Why talk when you needed to run? Suddenly, Ryou's voice cut through my thoughts.  
  
/YAMI! HELP!!!!!/ He screamed, probably not even realizing I could hear him. Gods, I loved his self-preservation reflexes. Running out of my soul room, I dashed down the hall to the control area and wrenched him out of the way.  
  
"What is this? I sense a dark presence!" I heard the owner of the millennium eye gasp. Laughing darkly, I looked up at him and drew on Ryou and my energies, fending off the eye's spells and blasting everyone in the vicinity into the real world.  
  
"Erase their memories!" I commanded the ring as I found myself in the room Ryou had been staying in. It really wouldn't do for the wielder of the eye to come looking for me, especially since my powers had been weakened from fending off the powers of the eye.  
  
/Yami? / I heard Ryou ask timidly. He was just asking for comformation of what he thought was true. He'd never ask out loud if I was there and I loved that about Ryou. He'd never ask me questions he already knew the answer to. He could always put two and two together and read between the lines at the same time.  
  
/Who is this man? / I asked, sending him a mental picture of the man I had saved my hikari from.  
  
/Maximillion Pegasus? / Ryou offered. /Why do you ask, Bakura? /  
  
"Soon the millennium eye shall be mine." I grinned, talking outloud. /But first, I need to rest. And so should you, Ryou. /  
  
/Yes Yami. / Ryou sighed, going to his soul room to sleep. Groaning in exhaustion I pulled off our shoes and slipped into bed, knowing Ryou wouldn't wake me in the morning. 


	7. Chapter 7

AN: FINALLY! Sorry the update's taken so long to write. Just finished it today and I wanted to get it up as soon as possible, so please forgive my typos and what such. Lemme see, I see one or two more chapters. Three more is the max though, so we are approaching the end. Ahem, anyway, this chapter of mine goes over the episode with Yami Bakura running through the castle with Tristan and Mokuba. I've tried to keep the lines as close to the dubbed version as possible, but it's been a while, so you'll have to forgive me if I'm wrong (Which I know I am in many cases-I'm to lazy to actually try and remember). If anyone out there does happen to have the correct lines, for either this episode or the shadow realm one in earlier chapters, I would be glad to substitute in the correct ones lines. Just send them along. Read and enjoy!  
  
Ryou's Problem 7  
  
/Ryou? / I called, poking my head out of soul room.  
  
/Oh, Yami. So, you're up then. I've been wondering how long you were planning to sleep for. It's almost noon ya know. / Ryou sighed.  
  
"Saving your punk ass is exhausting, ya git!" I thought to myself, before returning to my conversation with Ryou. /What'd I miss? /  
  
/How long have you been in your soul room? / Ryou asked, not answering my question. /Did you come back when my ring was glowing? /  
  
/I haven't a clue. I've been unconscious for most of my return. Now, what'd I miss? /  
  
/Bandit Keith and Mai have been knocked out of the play-offs. Joey and Yugi are dueling for the right to duel Pegasus. /  
  
/The millennium eye holder? /  
  
/He posses the millennium eye? / Ryou asked, surprised. /How did you know that? /  
  
I kicked myself mentally. How could I be so stupid? I'd erased Ryou's memories; of course he wouldn't remember my fight with that man.  
  
/Never mind that. Who is winning the duel? That blond idiot or the pharaoh? /  
  
/Joey was winning for a bit....... but I think Yugi just won. /  
  
/Hum. So, the pharaoh is planning on fighting this man. Well, fine by me. Must remember to thank him for making my job easier. /  
  
/Bakura? What are you talking about? /  
  
/Huh? Oh, nothing Ryou. Nothing at all. /  
  
/Whatever. Now would you be quite? Yugi is going to start his duel with Pegasus soon. I'd rather not miss it. /  
  
"Punk." I grumbled but didn't bother to argue with him. Somethings aren't worth time, energy or body parts.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Let's go up to the viewing area." Joey suggested and left with Tea following close behind. Turning to go, I looked over to see Tristan going off in another direction.  
  
"Tristan? What are you doing?" I asked.  
  
"If Pegasus has Mokuba than he's got the upper hand. I'm going to try and take away that advantage." Tristan smiled before running off to find Seto's brother. I nodded and turned to join the others.  
  
"Hey, Ryou!" Joey called. "Where's Tristan?"  
  
"Yea shouldn't he be here to cheer on Yugi?" Tea asked nervously.  
  
"I'm not sure." I shrugged. I couldn't place it but I knew that it was a BAD idea to tell the others where Tristan had gone.  
  
"Ah, he probably just had to use the john." Joey shrugged before returning his attention to the duel. I tried to focus on the game because I knew it was very important, but something kept tugging at the back of my mind. Something wasn't quite right. Still I shrugged off the feeling and even tried to focus on the duel when Bakura used my eyes and ears to listen in on a conversation Pegasus's bodyguard was having with someone else.  
  
/Ryou. Let's go check on Tristan. He's run into a bit of trouble. / Bakura suggested.  
  
/Huh? Oh, all right. / I agreed, unsure what to think. Why was my Yami so interested in Tristans well fare? He'd never cared before. But if I didn't agree he might send me to rehab. I had to agree! I turned to go when Joey stopped me.  
  
"Ryou? Where are you going?" He asked.  
  
"I'm just going to look for Tristan." I shrugged, not facing him.  
  
"Good idea. He has been gone a long time." Joey nodded and I sighed in relief. Walking down the hall, I suddenly felt Bakura grab my sweater and roughly take control of our body.  
  
/YAMI! / I screamed as I found myself locked in my room. I ran to the blocked exit and began pounding on the locked door. /YAMI, LET ME OUT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! BAKURA! /  
  
/Just shut up and stay where you are. / Bakura hissed before temporarily closing our mental link. Screaming and yelling, I cursed Bakura and demanded that he let me out. I continued until my throat burned and my hands stung.  
  
/You bastard! What's your problem?! / I wanted to know. As I continued to scream and shout the feeling of fear continued to grow in the pity of my stomach. The more it grew, the more I began to shake. Finally, unable to control my body, I slid down against the door and cried. I couldn't take the pressure. I was so scared.  
  
"Where are we going? Why did Yami lock me in my room? Is he taking me to rehab? No, he wouldn't. Would he? What is he going to do with me and why is he being so mean?" I asked my self between sobs. I lay on my side and continued to shake uncontrollably. I couldn't take it. I was too tense. Too scared. I wasn't in control. I wasn't relaxed. Crying harder, I reached out to Bakura through our link.  
  
/Yami! Please listen to me. I'm too stressed out; I can't take this! Please help me out! Just one snort. That's all. Just one more, I promise! One to relax! One more and it's my last I promise! / I pleaded with my Yami through our link.  
  
/NO! / Bakura roared though our link. /One more is followed by another and another! You'll never stop and I refuse to let you kill yourself like this. WEAKLING! CRAWL BACK TO YOUR MOTHER! Why do I even waste my time with you, huh? Bah! /  
  
/You can't treat me like this! I'm tired! I need some cocaine! And now you've gone and pissed me off! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!! DO YOU HEAR ME, YAMI? YOU'RE GOING TO DIE BY MY HANDS! /  
  
/Shut up you idiot! I'm doing this to helping you, so be silent! / Bakura snapped. /You're giving me a fucking headache. /  
  
I could tell that I had angered him but he left his link open, a small victory for me. I watched as he rescued Tristan and Mokuba.  
  
/GO YAMI! / I cheered and yelled my thanks for saving my friend, my insane need for a high forgotten along with our previous argument.  
  
"Come on." Bakura huffed as he ran up the stairs, Tristan following close behind him. I gasped as I saw that we had reached a dead end. Seemingly unperturbed, Yami took out his deck and his favorite monster-man-eater bug- on the guards.  
  
/YAMI!/ I shouted, unsure whether to be happy or upset with Bakura. I couldn't make up my mind. That is until I heard him talk with Tristan.  
  
"Give me the boy." I heard Bakura demand.  
  
"What? Why?" Tristan asked, echoing my thoughts. "Wait a second. You're not Ryou. Who are you?"  
  
"I am the spirit of this ancient ring. Now give me the boy or I shall send you to the shadow realm to join those guards."  
  
"Oh, I get it. You want to take over Mokuba's body since it's empty now."  
  
"You're quick." Yami sneered. "I need a better vessel than this weakling. Now hand over the boy and you may leave."  
  
"Yami?" I whispered, his words cutting into my heart. I felt my hands and limbs go limp as I continued to process his words. "Why Bakura? Why do you hate me so much?"  
  
AN: BWAHAHAHA!! A cliffhanger! And why is Yami being so mean to Ryou? Why is he pretending like he doesn't care? Does Bakura really hate Ryou, or is it just a front? Wahahaha! Wouldn't you like to know? Remember, more reviews = faster update. 


	8. Chapter 8

AN: Again, sorry about the time problems. This ending is harder to write than I first imagined. Don't worry though. I will finish! Anyhow, about two more chapters, maybe three.  
  
Ryou's Problem 8  
  
"You're quick." Yami sneered. "I need a better vessel than this weakling. Now hand over the boy and you may leave."  
  
"Yami?" I whispered, his words cutting into my heart. I felt my hands and limbs go limp as I continued to process his words. "Why Bakura? Why do you hate me so much?"  
  
"Well? Hand him over!" Bakura demanded.  
  
"Fine. Catch!" Tristan yelled as he flung Mokuba's body at my Yami. Grunting a little under the boys' weight, Bakura didn't notice Tristan until it was too late.  
  
/LOOK OUT! / I screamed as Tristan's hand collided with Bakura's neck. I yelped in surprise as my vision suddenly reverted back to my soul room and I fell on my butt.  
  
"Shit!" I hissed, rubbing my head and neck. "Tristan must have knocked us out."  
  
"Ow." I heard Bakura moan from the hall. Walking over to my door, I looked down and found him lying on the floor, gripping his head. "Fuckin' 'ell."  
  
"You okay?" I asked, from my doorway. He didn't answer, but I hadn't really expected him too. We stood-at least, I did-there for a few minutes before Bakura managed to sit up. I walked over and helped him stand. "I asked you a question."  
  
"I was so close to getting that boy and then I get smacked unconscious....... how do you think I'm feeling?"  
  
"Like shit." I admitted. "Hey, it hurt me, too."  
  
"Which part?" Bakura asked, catching me off guard.  
  
"What?" I asked. Bakura shook his head and sat back down on the floor. I looked down at him and he scooted over so he could lean against the wall.  
  
"Which part hurt? Getting smacked or my words?"  
  
"I don't understand." I lied.  
  
"Don't play dumb. I heard you! 'Why do you hate me so much?' I believe were the exact words. So what part were you referring to?"  
  
"Both." I shrugged. I was lying again. I'd only meant getting hit, but the words had hurt too.  
  
"I'm sorry." Bakura whispered.  
  
"What? What do you mean?" I asked, surprised. Bakura had never apologized before.  
  
"I mean, I'm sorry I said what I did. I was angry that you were so addicted. Your habit scares me, Ryou."  
  
"It scares me too." I admitted as I sat down and crawled over to sit next to him. "I've always been scared of not being in control and the cocaine let me have that power. But then it started to control me and I couldn't escape from it."  
  
"Why didn't you ask someone for help?"  
  
"I was scared of that too. I was afraid that if I told someone that they would leave me alone. I'm more scared of being alone then anything else." I sobbed. Bakura gently wrapped his arm around my shoulder and hugged me.  
  
"Shush." He whispered. "Don't cry."  
  
"Yami?" I hiccuped while burring my head in his sweater. "Can we make a deal?"  
  
"What sort of deal?"  
  
"I'll do anything you want....... if you promise never to leave me."  
  
"Anything? And I can order you around forever?" Yami asked with a slight grin. I frowned; he knew that wasn't what I had meant.  
  
"No. What do you want so that you'll never leave me?" I whispered.  
  
"I want you to get help, Ryou." He said after a minute of silence. "And I don't want you to fight me when I go in search of the millennium items."  
  
"I won't fight you." I promised. "But....... I don't want to go to rehab."  
  
"I could always leave." Bakura suggested and I groaned. Bakura had already won and he knew it.  
  
"I'll get help....... when we get off the island. And don't expect me to help you get those items either!"  
  
"Fine. As long as you don't truly fight me." He nodded. I nodded in return and smiled.  
  
"And you promise not to leave me?" I asked again; just to be sure.  
  
"I promise."  
  
AN: Sorry about the short chapter. No promises about the next one but, since it's the end, I think it will be longer. R&R! 


	9. Chapter 9

AN: All right. We're now onto Pegasus's shadow game w/ Bakura. Again, sorry about the line; it's been a while.  
  
Ryou's Problem 9  
  
Opening my eyes, the first thing I noticed was the bright ceiling.  
  
'I never noticed it was so white.' I thought to myself before I sat up and had a look around. 'Where am I? Tristan knocked Bakura and myself out in that dingy stairwell, but this doesn't look like it at all.'  
  
Twisting around I was shocked to see I was on the viewing area over the stadium. Yugi was standing with Tea, Joey and Tristan and they seemed to be talking about something. It seemed to be important. I strained to pick up their words but I didn't find much.  
  
"....... leave....... Mokuba." One of them said. I couldn't follow much after that, but I think they were talking about Pegasus. Deciding that it wasn't worth sitting on my ass as they talked, I stood up and leaned over the balcony slightly.  
  
"HEY!" I shouted as I waved my hand in the air.  
  
"Ryou! Hey Ryou!" they yelled back, seemingly excited to see me.  
  
"Hey, do you think you could watch Mokuba for a bit?" Yugi asked. "We need to go find Pegasus!"  
  
/Let them go. / Bakura laughed. /They won't find him. /  
  
"Sure!" I called back. "Go ahead!"  
  
I watched them go, before I quickly let Bakura take over.  
  
/Where are we going? / I asked.  
  
/To find this Pegasus. /  
  
/Why? Yugi and the others are already after him. /  
  
/Don't be such an idiot. They just want to find him so he'll pay up. I want to challenge him. /  
  
/Challenge him? Does he have a millennium item? /  
  
/Yes./ Bakura replied patiently. /The millennium eye./  
  
/Oh. I guess I'd better just go into my room then./  
  
/Probably best. Though we really don't have time to play a full duel monsters game./  
  
/So what do you plan on doing?/  
  
/Millennium item carriers must challenge another item holder to a shadow game in order to procure their item. That's the only rule. This Pegasus will clearly be tired, because he just took the pharaoh into the shadow realm and challenged him. I believe that I can quickly over power him with a simple mind game. We can get the eye and be gone before Yugi even knows where to look./  
  
/And how do we know where to look?/  
  
/Ryou, why must you ask such stupid questions? We are the owner of the millennium ring. Now, how do you say it? Ah yes, get with the program. Where the hell does that phrase come from anyway? /  
  
/Television, I believe./ I mentally shrugged. /So where is he?/  
  
/In his room. Now be quite. I need to conserve energy. / Bakura snapped before he sped up and leapt up the stairs to Pegasus's room. We came into the room in time to see Pegasus drop to his knees sobbing. Looking out of the corner of our eyes, I noticed that there were three empty soul cards.  
  
/He's released Yugi's grandfather and the Kaiba brothers. / I told Bakura.  
  
/I didn't think he wouldn't. / Bakura mentally shrugged. /A promise is a promise for men like Pegasus. And he's too tired to fight the pharaoh again, so let's play on that, shall we? /  
  
"What?!" Pegasus called. "Who's there?"  
  
"Me." Bakura sneered. "Shall we play a game, Pegasus?"  
  
He took out our deck and set out six cards upside down. Without looking over at Pegasus, he turned four of them over and seemed to read them. I wasn't sure how he did it, but I could tell he was mocking Pegasus.  
  
"Stop this!" Pegasus suddenly yelled at him. "Leave me!"  
  
"But don't you want to know your future?" Bakura asked, still not looking at Pegasus. Turning over the last two cards, he laughed at Pegasus and challenged him to a shadow game. Throwing myself into my soul room, I covered my ears as Bakura fought the shadow realm. The battling seemed to scream inside my head and I could almost feel my head splitting apart. And suddenly....... it stopped. Opening my eyes, I stood up and quickly looked out of our eyes to find that Bakura had closed his eyes. Tilting his head back slightly, Bakura laughed.  
  
"You lose, Pegasus!" Bakura declared in triumph. "And I win!"  
  
"No. No." Pegasus whispered. "NO!"  
  
Ignoring his screams, I watched in open-eyed horror as Bakura leaned over and gripped the millennium eye, before ripping it out with a quick, painful twist. Sneering at Pegasus's obvious agony and anguish, Bakura slowly, almost with a taunting air, extended his tongue and ran it over the millennium eye, lapping up the blood that covered its golden coating. Stopping down so that he was eye level with the cowering man, Bakura brought his face really close to Pegasus's.  
  
"I was never here, was I, Pegasus?" Bakura asked Pegasus. "Cause if I was, I'd have to kill you."  
  
Shaking his head negatively, Pegasus clamped both of his hands over his left eye, where the millennium eye had once been. Grabbing Pegasus's chin, Bakura forced Pegasus to look at him. Staring him in the eye, Bakura held up the Millennium eye.  
  
"Erase his mind of all memories of me." Bakura commanded the eye. There was a blinding flash of light and, when I managed to regain my sight, Bakura had dropped Pegasus's limp body cruelly on the ground and kicked him away.  
  
"Mr. Pegasus?" A voice called. "Master Pegasus, are you up there?"  
  
"I'll leave you now." Bakura whispered to Pegasus's lifeless form and hurried over to the window. Crawling onto the ledge, Bakura gripped the roof tiles and pulled himself up, just as the first servant came in the room. Sliding over to the other side of the roof, Bakura slipped the Millennium eye into the front pocket of our shirt and leapt onto another outcropping of roof a few feet bellow us. He slipped over to the edge and swung our body into the room bellow us, which happened to be Joey's room last night. Making our way back to the viewing platform, I was relieved to find Mokuba was still unconscious.  
  
/Take over, Ryou. / Bakura commanded. /And whatever you do, pretend like you've been here the entire time. /  
  
/I'm not an idiot. / I started to grumble when I thought of something else. /You won't forget your promise, will you? /  
  
/No. Now hurry up and start watching the brat. / Bakura growled as he shoved me into control of our body. Sitting in front of Mokuba, I watched as his eyelids started to twitch and slowly his head rotated so it was leaning against the opposite shoulder. I heard the others approaching and I looked over to see them running towards me. Mokuba let out a low groan and I turned my attention back to the sleeping boy.  
  
"Hey, guys. I think he's waking up." I told the others, as Mokuba opened his eyes and sat up.  
  
"Where's Seto?" He asked. 


	10. Chapter 10

AN: Again, there's a line for the Anime in this chapter. Same deal as always. I am still open to anyone if they care to send me the right lines. Anyway, most of this chapter is made up in my head. So don't go around think you've missed an episode. (Though why you would…......)

Ryou's problem 10

I fell to the back of the line as I watched Mokuba race through the halls of Pegasus's castle, trying to find his brother. Letting the gaze wander, I saw Tristan close by and a thought struck me.

"Hey, Tristan." I nodded, as I approached him.

"Hey, Ryou. Feeling any better?"

"Well, my head hurts a bit, but other than that I'm fine."

"Good." Tristan nodded. "I'm glad that spirit doesn't hurt you."

/Why that…....../ Bakura growled rolling up his sleeves. I could feel him moving to take over and winced, knowing that would blow his cover.

/Let me handle this!/ I pleaded with him and sighed in relief when he agreed. Laughing I turned back to Tristan.

"No, I'm fine. Really." I grinned. "I did notice something though. I had that old ring. What happened to it?"

"Oh that." Tristan mumbled and stopped walking, allowing the others to move ahead so we could talk in private. "I think it was the source of your spirit, so I threw it out the window."

"Into the woods?" I asked.

"Yea." Tristan shrugged. "You don't have to worry about that spirit anymore."

But I did. At that precise moment, Bakura was imagining painful ways to kill and dispose of Tristan and I had to restrain him to keep him from carrying these plans out.

/HOW DARE HE!/ Bakura raged.

/Bakura, relax!" I pleaded. /We'll find the ring I promise!/

/A millennium item! He threw a millennium item out a window! Does he know how dangerous that is?!/

/We'll find it./ I told Bakura. /I promise. /

Unfortunately I couldn't lose the others for a while.

/Hey, Bakura. / I called.

/Yea? / Bakura replied from his room. He'd been brooding there since he found out that Tristan had thrown away our ring and I had stopped him from killing Tristan. Yamis are such idiots.

/How, exactly, are we getting off this island? /

/Malik will pick us up. / Bakura shrugged.

/Oh. / I nodded and returned my attention to the group. Evidently—I couldn't be sure since I had been on autopilot the entire time—I had followed them outside and we had just meet up with Kaiba. Finally realizing they didn't have a ride off the island, Joey and Tristan ran after Kaiba with Tea and Yugi quick on their heels. Laughing quietly, Bakura tapped me on the shoulder and took over. Pulling the millennium eye out of our pocket and looked at it.

"You may have won the tournament, Yugi." Bakura said almost to himself. "But I have won the real prize. And soon, soon I will have all the millennium items."

Letting out a cruel laugh, Bakura smiled and shoved the millennium eye back into his pocket.

/Yami. / I sighed. /I wish you wouldn't act so cruelly. /

/Shut up, Ryou. / Bakura told me, but I knew he was too happy to really care. Walking off in the opposite direction of Yugi, Bakura wandered into the forest seemed to 'feel' for his millennium item.

/Bakura? What are you doing? /

/Really Ryou. I'm the spirit of the millennium ring. I should be able to sense it, as it is part of me. Now, let me concentrate. Ah there it is. /

Walking a bit off the trail, Yami kicked a couple of bushes until his foot a hard spot. Bending over, Yami reached into a bush and drew out the millennium ring.

"Well, Ryou." Bakura smiled. "Two down; five to go."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sighing, I gently dropped my head onto the glass and watched the rain hit the garden below. It's been almost a month since I checked into the clinic. Almost a month since duelist kingdom. Hell, I hadn't been home five minutes before Yami had me packing my bags and making him coffee. Shit, he should check in with me for caffeine addiction! Well, at least he'd covered for me when it came to school. Not that I was complaining, really. It's a nice place, Rebirth clinic. And going through rehab is better than I though it would be. Better than being so screwed up anyway. Okay, so some of the shit we did was pretty stupid. And, okay, so my roommates out of his mind. And, okay, so I miss Yami, but all in all I prefer this to the way I was two months ago. 

Not that I'm perfectly cure. My councilor told me I might never get over having 'bouts of need'. He said that they'll get less and less as I spend more time off cocaine, but they'll probably never get rid of them completely. They get pretty bad sometimes and scare me more than anything, to be honest. More than being alone. More than not being in control. More than being back on cocaine. Of course that's just the problem. Whenever I go through a 'bout of need' I convince myself that I need cocaine and will try anything to get another snort. Last time, last Monday, the bout was so strong I knocked out a nurse and had to be sedated.

Fortunately, the bouts are growing further apart and I've learned how to deal with them. And I'll have Yami to help me.

Shaking myself, I remember the reason I was in my room to begin with and grab my duffel bag from my bed. I was going home. Running outside, I smile at Yami who's signing me out…...... in my father's name. We'll be talking later. Smiling at him, I walk over and he nods to me.

/How are you feeling?/ he asks me mentally.

/Good. / I smile.

/That's good. / He grins. /Ready to go home? /

/Yea. / I nod and we walk out into the rain to the waiting taxicab.

**__**

~The End~

AN: Yep. It's officially the end! So how'd you like it? Loved it? okay? 'Shot the author'? 'send the angry French mob off to storm the authors castle…...... er, house'? Review and tell me! Thanks! -NightsClaws


End file.
